USA Today promotes Dubrovnik…unfortunately

USA Today have published their list of the “World's most thrilling cliff diving spots” and, unfortunately, Dubrovnik is included on the list. Why unfortunately? A few years ago a popular Australian blogger wrote an article about cliff diving in Dubrovnik from the Buza Bar outside of the Old City walls. This article went viral and before long hundreds of Australians were leaping, like lemmings, from the rocks. Although the jump, or dive, is into deep water there are a few hidden rocks just under the surface. Over the past five years Dubrovnik’s emergency services have been called to the Buza Bar rocks at least three times a year, either for fatalities or severe injuries.

“I just can’t watch them jump anymore, I tried to warn them but they wouldn’t listen,” explained a local resident. “I just remember the sound as one poor girl hit the rocks, it was awful,” he added. The Australians were first, but soon the British followed and the Americans, the jump from the rocks of Buza Bar was a must do, and the injuries piled up. The locals tried to raise a barrier to stop the jumpers, it was ignored.

An article from the Croatian daily newspaper Slobodna Dalmacija, after another tourist was badly injured in 2012, read “Unlike similar accidents that have occurred in recent years, this time it was a Britain who was injured while jumping into the sea. Most of the people injured on these jumps are from Australia, for whom the Buza has become “cult place” to prove your courage.” Just after his article was published another young Britain jumped from the rocks and nearly died, she spent months in hospital having facial reconstruction.

And now the globally popular USA Today encourages more people to travel to Dubrovnik and jump of the Buza Bar rocks. Thankfully they do start the article with a word of warning, “just look at the activity's nickname, "tombstoning," to get some idea of its deadly reputation. This sport, in the wrong hands, is no laughing matter.” But then they also go onto to sing the praises of the Buza Bar jump, “either follow the handrails and walk down the steps, or follow the locals to a rock called lav ("lion") and dive right in!”

Our advice is to ignore USA Today! This is an extremely dangerous jump that has statistically over the years caused the most injuries in Dubrovnik. This is neither a cult place nor a proof of courage, don’t be another lemming.

Don't bring your summer holiday to an abrupt end - a scene from 2012 after another Buza accident